Leeu Passant new releases

In 2013, Chris and Andrea Mullineux, partnered with Indian businessman Analjit Singh and started Leeu Passant, the winery on Singh’s Leeu Estates in Franschhoek, grapes sourced from across the winelands.

Chris Mullineux says that if the wines from 2016 through 2019 were characterised by “power and concentration” on account of the infamous drought of that time, then the wines from 2020 to 2022 show “more linearity, tightness and vibrancy” due to there generally being more moisture in the soil. Tasting notes and ratings for the new releases as follows:

Leeu Passant Franschhoek Semillon 2022
Price: R490
Grapes from a vineyard planted in 1960. Matured for 12 months in barrel before a further 12 months in concrete egg. Lime, white peach, Granny Smith apple, a light waxy note and a hint of reduction on the nose. The palate is vivid and vital – lean yet full of flavour. Austere but equally harmonious and age-worthy. Alc: 11.5%.

CE’s rating: 95/100.

Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2022
Price: R915
Grapes from a Helderberg site. Matured for 12 months in 225-litre barrels, a third new. Lemon, a pleasant nuttiness, freshly baked bread and a brush of vanilla on the nose. The palate shows great power and texture – a dense core of fruit to go with arresting acidity, the finish deeply savoury whith a certain chalkiness about it. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 96/100.

Leeu Passant Wellington Old Vines Cinsault 2022
Price: R780
Grapes from a vineyard planted in 1900. Matured for 21 months in 500-litre barrels. Rose, cranberry, raspberry, prune and spice on the nose while the palate has both breadth and depth – weighty and round with layers of flavour, the finish savoury. A sumptuous wine, the only weakness perhaps a slight heat to the finish – alcohol is 14.5%.

CE’s rating: 95/100.

Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Price: R490
Grapes from a Helderberg site. Matured for 12 months in 500-litre barrels, of which a third were new, before a further 16 months in larger format oak. Rose, red and black berries plus a hint of fynbos, this only adding an enticing aromatic quality, and a hint of pencil shavings. The palate is poised and precise – medium-bodied with bright acidity and fine-grained tannins, the finish long and dry. Alc: 14%.

CE’s rating: 95/100.

Leeu Passant 2021
Price: R1880
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cinsault. Matured for 11 months in 500-litre barrels, of which a third were new, before a further 11 months in 2,000-litre foudre. An expressive nose with notes of red and black berries, some leafiness, some fresh herbs and rose. Luscious on entry but then lively acidity becomes apparent, the tannins firm but fine, the finish long and dry. Alc: 13.5%.

CE’s rating: 94/100.

Leeu Passant Radicales Libres 2018
Price: R915
Grapes from Barrydale in Klein Karoo. Matured for 60 months in old barriques. Lemon, orange, nectarine, a slight rancio note and spice on the nose. The palate shows great depth but also energy. Super-detailed, the finish savoury and just a little tannic. Very concentrated but not unctuous or greasy. Alc: 14%.

CE’s rating: 95/100.

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